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NMdel) J. BIRNBAUM au Jr. T. RICHMOND.

TRAGK CLEANER..

No.-2 87,'411. Patented Oct. 30, 1883.4

tINrrn raras.

JOHN BIRN BAUM AND JOHN T. RICHMOND, CIN CINN ATI, OHIO, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO GEORGE J BIRNBAM, OF SAME PLACE.

TRACK=CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 287,411, dated October 30, 1883.

Application tiled January 8, 1883. (No model.)

To all 10700711/ it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN BIRNBAUM and JOHN T. RICHMOND, both citizens of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track- Cleaners, of which the following` is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a 1o device capable of performing thetwofold purpose of clearing street-railroad tracks of vsnow and ice and other obstructions, and of prevent-4 ing persons falling under the wheels of the car. This result is accomplished by arranging apair I 5 of brushes, brooms, or similar cleaners under the front platform, to which cleaners a rotary motion is imparted by suitable gears, pulleys, Src., operated, preferably, by a drum mounted on one of the car-axles, although the same mo- 2o tion can be obtained with friction gearing. These brushes revolve in a horizontal plane, and are located in such closeproximity to the front wheels as to render it difcult for any per-v son to fall under the Iatter. These revolving` brushes or cleaners are journaled in a frame capable of being swung, so as to throw the cleaners out of contact with the rails, as hereinafter more fully described, andfpointed out in the claims. Furthermore, this swinging frame 3o is so arranged as to shift a clutch and prevent the rotating of the cleaners when the latter are in their inoperative position, as hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure lis a side elevation of a street-car provided with our iinprovemcnts, the front platform being sectioned and the stepsof the same omitted. Fig. 2is an enlarged elevation, showing one ofthe trackcleaners in its operative position. Fig. 3 is a similar elevation, but showing the cleaner in its inoperative position. Fig. 4L is' a plan of the under side of the( car and its attachments, the cleaners being in the saine position as in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of one end of the swinging frame and its acces, sories. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of said frame, taken in the plane of hanger D.

A represents a portion ofthe body of a streetcar or other similar vehicle adapted to run on ordinary rails or tracks, said car being supported on a pair of front wheels, B, and 'rear wheels, C.

Depending from the underside of the car are two hangers, D D, that afford journal- 5 5' bearings for a, main shaft, E, which latter carries the swinging frame F, within one end of which frame is mounted a counter-shaft, G, having at top abevel-pinion, g, and at bottom 4 a head, H, provided withwire, splint, or other 6o suitable bristles or cleaners, 7L. Bevel-pinion g gears with a correspondingly-shaped Wheel, Y c, at one end of the horizontal or main shaft E. The. opposite end of frame F has mounted in it another counter-shaft, G', having at top a bev- 65 el-pinion, g, and at bottom a head, H', provided with asuitable cleaner, h. Bevel-pinion g gears with a wheel, e, at the end of main shaft E, thelatter being provided with a pulley,

I, around which and around a drum, J, is passed 7o a chain or wire or band, U, capable of communicating motion from the front axle, Z, to said shaft E.

Drum J rides loosely on axle b, but can be coupled thereto when lug j is engaged with the longitudinal slot 7c of clutch K. This clutch is grooved circumferentially at k', to admit the forked end Z of a bell-crank, L, pivoted at n to a bearing, N, that depends rigidly from the car. The opposite end of said bell-crank is 8O united to the swinging frame F by alink, O.

I? is a rod, that connects said fra-ine to the lower end of a pivoted lever, It, the handle of which lever is convenient tothe driver on the y front platform of the car.

S`S are long guards or fenders, preferably made of sheet metal, and provided with hooks T, that engage with staples t, driven into the under side of the car. Furthermore, the ends of these fenders are bent inwardly, as at s, so

as to approach quite near the wheels of the car. Then the apparatus is in its normal position,

the handle of lever It is thrown forward, and

may be locked with a hook or other convenient device, this movement of the lever causing the swinging frame F to become vertical and bringing the cleaners h h in close contact with the rails or tracks. This vertical position of the frame compels the clutch K to engage with the drum J and consequently the motion of axle b 10o is communicated to main shaft E, the gearwheels of which, e e, in connection with the pinions g g', impart a very rapid rotation to the brushes or cleaners HhH h. As a result of this rapid rotation of said brushes, the trackis thoroughly cleaned in advance of the car, and Without imposing any perceptible strain on the horses. The location of these cleaners is Isuch as to prevent any person being run over, in case they should fall across the track in front of the wheels'B. After the tracks have been cleaned, and there is no further need of using the brushes, the lever R is thrown back, thereby causing the swinging frame F to assume the position seen in Fig. 3, which changed position of the frame not only elevates said brushes, but so shifts the bell-crank L Z as to disengage the fclutch K from drum J, which act stops the rotation of shaft E and the gearing connected therewith. As this shaft acts as the center of motion of the swinging frame, the belt or chain 'U is always at the saine tension, no matter what position said frame may assume.

By extendingthe guards or fenders S S there is no possibility of any person falling on the track between the wheels B and O, and thel band U and clutch mechanism J Kmaybe dispensed with, and the wheels e e' be arranged to be driven by frictional contact with the carwheels B B as soon as the frame F has been properly shifted.

We claim as our invention- 1. A track-cleaner consisting of the horizontally-rotating brushes h h', operated by gearing, substantially in the In anner described,

said brushes being journaled in a swinging frame, for the purpose stated.

2. The combination, in trackcleaner, of horizontally-rotating brushes h h', operated in the'manner described, and j ournaled in aswinging frame, which latter is so coupled toaclutch mechanism as to engage and disengage the same, for the object stated.

3. The combination of hangers D D', main shaft E, beve1-wheels e e', swinging frame F, bevel-pinions g g', counter-shafts G G, brushes H h H h', pulley I, and driving band or chain U, as and for the purpose stated.

4. In combination with the main shaft E I, carrying a swinging frame, F, provided with a pair of track-eleaners`, h h', geared in the manner described, the drum J j, clutchKkk, pivoted bell-crank L Z n, link O, and band or chain U, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN BIRNBAUM. JOHN T. RICHMOND.

Witnesses:

. J AMES H. LAYMAN,

Simi.. S. CARPENTER. 

